Are known from the prior art systems that use heat from waste water including waste water from showers.
Thus, the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,870 by T. Hebert describes a system in terms of heat usage, which has a traditional block and a hot/cold mixing valve. In its whole, it is a fairly conventional and bulky system.
The document DE29806939U1 describes a system use of waste water applied to shower facilities (including communal showers) that also uses a block with a specific type of building but once again not very compact, tailored to the specific application, and a water heater for the hot water.
The document CA2038928A1 describes a heat pump for the production of hot water by a vapour compression system. It has an evaporator that can capture the heat from the external environment while being subjected to the same external environment. A coil system captures radiant heat from the compressor. The operating principle is, therefore, profoundly different from the present invention.
The Portuguese patent application PT104608 entitled “Heat recovery system and corresponding trap” is the document of the closest prior art. This patent application is an alternative to this application in that the system presents a different construction, thermodynamically more evolved with energy efficiency improvements.
There are also operating advantages in particular by the application of new parts with very specific functions and which make the system much more adapted to the real conditions of use. Better thermal insulation and an easier assembly on site. Thus, the thermal balance is reached more quickly, achieving energy savings of around 70%.
The system can also work in reverse, i.e. to cool tap water that must be cooled before being used during a shower. In very hot countries tap water is too hot. In these countries there is a need to cool the water rather than to heat it.